Enfield man charged in Glenview murders

Matthew Simms, an Enfield man already facing a December court date for a 2015 murder, has been charged in the murders of four elderly people in the Glenview community in August.

Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp confirmed Simms, 25, was served the warrants for the four murders at the detention center in Halifax where he is in custody on $500,000 bond for skipping a June court date for the 2015 murder of Jarshamel Cambridge in Enfield.

He was taken into custody for failure to appear in the Cambridge case in September, nearly a month after the Glenview murders.

Other than confirming Simms was served the warrants for the murders of James and Janice Harris and James and Peggy Whitley, Tripp declined elaboration on details of the case as it remains under investigation. “We continue to work diligently on this case,” he said.

The four murder counts means he remains in jail with the condition now of no opportunity for bond.

Tripp, who said in a previous statement the murders of the four elderly people was gang-related, would not confirm Simms was a gang member. He declined to confirm whether the motive of the case was specifically to rob Harris, a retired gunsmith, of weapons.

In past statements the sheriff has said items of value were missing from the residence and the motive is robbery.

The four were shot through a glass door while they sat playing cards at the dining room table. All the victims died at the table after they were shot multiple times.

In the Cambridge case, Simms had originally been jailed without opportunity for bond after he was found hiding in a suitcase in November of 2015.

Sometime afterward, his bond was lowered and he was able to post bail. That timeframe is not immediately clear as of this report.

Simms will have a first court appearance Friday.

Tripp said family members of the four victims have been notified. He declined comment on their reactions.